


Mistakes Worth Making

by Alania_Black



Series: 366 fics for 2016 [7]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Forgiveness, M/M, breaking up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-08
Updated: 2016-01-08
Packaged: 2018-05-12 12:25:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5665999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alania_Black/pseuds/Alania_Black
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes Ron needs time to realise that sometimes a mistake is worth making, even if it hurts at first.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mistakes Worth Making

**Author's Note:**

> Day 7 of my attempt to write/post a fic every day of 2016.
> 
> This is the sequel to day 6: Just A Mistake. This one is from Ron's point of view. There is no mpreg mentioned in this fic, but Just A Mistake has mpreg in it.
> 
>  **Series note:**  
>  I am working on writing a fic every day of 2016, so I don't have time to re-edit each piece on the day (I have other things going on as well), however I have a strategy in place for editing the fics so there will be a polished version available soon. In the meantime, I'd appreciate it if you would not comment with typos and suchlike until I've published the edited version.

_Just a mistake, Harry._

The words haunted him. It was true, of course it was – Harry was his best mate, and Hermione was the person he was going to marry and have a family with one day. Doing anything that messed that up was just a stupid mistake. After fighting You-Know-Who, after coming so close to losing Fred that day, all Ron wanted was something safe and predictable and comfortable.

If sometimes he looked at the life he was building and worried that something was missing, that was normal. They were 22, they had time to come up with all the answers.

Didn’t they?

Sometimes he thought so; but other days, like today, he wasn’t so sure. It had been over a month since that night with Harry, and he still felt twisted up inside and confused. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

”Ron.” He turned around and looked at Hermione. She had come into the room and dropped her handbag in it’s usual place by the door, coat hung on the hook. She had tugged her band out of her hair as she always did when she got home, and kicked her shoes off by the door. It was exactly how she always behaved when she got back to her flat after work, but something today seemed to be out of place. It was only when Hermione continued to watch him calmly but somehow still sad, that he realised the only thing out of place today was _him_.

There was a time, if he got to her flat before she did, that he would have swept her up into a kiss to welcome her home. He couldn’t remember the last time he had done that, and from the look on her face, neither could she.

”Hi Hermione,” he welcomed quietly, and finally stepped forward to hug her. She pressed close, and he took a few moments to breathe in the scent of her hair and her body. “I love you.” He whispered, closing his eyes. Her breath hitched on a quiet sob.

”I know you do.” She whispered back. Her eyes were dry when she pulled away from him.

* * * * *

He knocked on Harry’s door briskly, almost vibrating in his own skin. He didn’t know what he was doing here and had no idea how Harry was going to handle him showing up like this. All he could remember was the look on Harry’s face that morning. He had lost Hermione, although he thought they would be able to continue as friends. He couldn’t lose Harry too.

The door opened eventually, and Ron’s heart clenched when he saw his friend. Harry’s face was pale and drawn and his eyes were red-rimmed. He looked either very sick or very unhappy – or a combination of both.

”Ron?” Harry asked hoarsely, looking puzzled.

”Hermione and I have broken up.” Ron blurted. He shook his head then and sighed. “Sorry, there were other things I should have said. Hi, how are you? You don’t look well? Can I come in?”

Harry just stared at him, but he did finally step back and let Ron in. Harry’s flat looked almost exactly the same as it had that night over a month ago, although a bit messier. Ron felt something inside him relax – so far nothing was as terrifying as he had worried it would be when he considered this over the last month.

”So, you’ve had a fight with Hermione? And you thought coming here was a good idea, considering what happened the last time you had a spat?” Harry asked, his voice somewhere between angry and challenging. Ron’s temper flared in automatic response, but he swallowed back his first response and remembered how much he had hurt Harry. Harry wasn’t angry, he was just lashing out because he was hurt.

”No, actually it was fairly calm. She’s noticed something has been different – I’ve been different – and she finally had enough. I didn’t tell her about us, although I don’t think she’d be surprised.”

”Us?” Harry snapped, “what us? We had a one night stand then you told me it was a mistake and went back to her.”

”I know.” Ron whispered, and finally let himself look at Harry. “I know, and I’m sorry. I love you, Harry, but I love Hermione as well. I don’t know how to… I thought this was the only way that things would be right. After everything that happened, after the battle, when Hermione and I kissed and you and Ginny seemed to be getting together. I thought… you were my brother, and Hermione would be my wife one day… I thought that was how it was supposed to be.”

He sat down finally on Harry’s saggy sofa, and waited until he had finally perched on the other chair. “It’s been fine. Hermione and I were going OK, we’ve been dating for a while and we had even been considering me moving into her flat. And even when you and Ginny didn’t get together and she went off with the Harpies, I still thought that this was how our lives were supposed to be.”

”What’s changed then?” Harry asked finally. Ron shrugged. 

”I’m not even sure. I just… I haven’t touched Hermione since we slept together, it felt wrong somehow. But being with you, that night was the best and most right thing that I’ve ever felt. I’m sorry, Harry, I’m so sorry, I just panicked. I thought I knew how things were supposed to be, and I just thought… what if I lost you? I’ve messed up so many times, I just didn’t want to screw this up as well.”

”You hurt me, Ron. And you’ve probably hurt Hermione a lot too.” Harry said quietly, looking down at his hands instead of at Ron. He still looked ill, but now there was a hint of pink over his cheekbones.

”I know I did, I don’t know how I could have avoided that though. I just… I always thought that it would be me and Hermione, and then after that night, it felt like everything was falling apart. So I thought I could ignore it, go back to Hermione, and things would be how they were supposed to be. But the truth is they can’t. I love Hermione, Harry, and I think we could have been comfortable together. But I’m _in love_ with you.”

He sat back and huffed loudly, before laughing and repeating it again, just for the freedom of being able to say it. “I’m in love with you, Harry.”

Harry didn’t move for a long time, just stared at him blankly. Finally, he glared at Ron. “Hermione dumps you and you come running to me instead? Like your backup plan?” He asked, looking like he was ready to get angry properly. Ron shook his head frantically.

”No, Harry! I wouldn’t do that to you. I know I’ve been a complete arse about this and I fully expect Hermione to rip me a new one before we go back to being friends, but I’m not that bad. Not any more. I’ve already hurt you once Harry, I didn’t mean to – I didn’t think you felt anything like that for me. Hermione and I had an argument and she kicked me out, I thought we were over. You were the only person I could think of and the only person I wanted to see. I didn’t come here planning on having sex with you but when we did it was like everything made sense finally. I panicked and I ran back to Hermione and begged her to take me back. It was cowardly and stupid and I am so sorry for it. I had to face up to myself here, Harry, and I swear I’m doing my best not to hurt you again.”

”Ron,” Harry sighed. He shook his head. “You are such a berk Ron, really. You’re lucky I love you.”

The words took a minute to sink in, but when they did, Ron couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Harry started laughing as well a few moments later, making his eyes sparkle with joy and his entire body seem brighter and healthier already.

They were still giggling like they were kids again when they finally kissed, pushing eagerly together and breaking apart every few moments to giggle breathlessly and joyfully.


End file.
